37 All those the Father gives me(A) will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven(B) not to do my will but to do the will(C) of him who sent me.(D) 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me,(E) but raise them up at the last day.(F) 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son(G) and believes in him shall have eternal life,(H) and I will raise them up at the last day.”

41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph,(I) whose father and mother we know?(J) How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”(K)

43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,(L) and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’[a](M) Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God;(N) only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.(O) 48 I am the bread of life.(P) 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.(Q) 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven,(R) which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread(S) that came down from heaven.(T) Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”(U)

52 Then the Jews(V) began to argue sharply among themselves,(W) “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh(X) of the Son of Man(Y) and drink his blood,(Z) you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.(AA) 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.(AB) 57 Just as the living Father sent me(AC) and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”(AD) 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

60 On hearing it, many of his disciples(AE) said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”(AF)

61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?(AG) 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man(AH) ascend to where he was before!(AI) 63 The Spirit gives life;(AJ) the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit[b] and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known(AK) from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.(AL) 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”(AM)

66 From this time many of his disciples(AN) turned back and no longer followed him.

67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.(AO)

68 Simon Peter answered him,(AP) “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.(AQ) 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”(AR)

70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you,(AS) the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”(AT) 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot,(AU) who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)(AV)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. John 6:45 Isaiah 54:13
  2. John 6:63 Or are Spirit; or are spirit

37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?

43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

48 I am that bread of life.

49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.

60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?

62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?

63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

Read full chapter